SRPEDD provides technical assistance and staff support to the two Regional Transit Authorities in the region. The Southeastern Regional Transit Authority (SRTA) includes the cities of Fall River and New Bedford plus eight surrounding towns. The Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority (GATRA) currently has 28 communities, 13 of which are outside of the SRPEDD region. These two Authorities vary greatly in their operating environment and services provided, which means that SRPEDD conducts a great variety of planning related tasks.

Public Information and Outreach/Environmental Justice

SRPEDD monitors the impacts of major bus service and fare changes on environmental justice populations. SRPEDD also works to inform and include all persons in its transit planning efforts. Federally funded transit projects and programs appear in the SMMPO TIP, and go through the TIP public process for review and approval. SRPEDD continually works to create and improve public information about available transit services. These efforts include:

A data layer of bus routes and stops for GATRA and SRTA that can be viewed in Google Earth; (please click on the Google Earth link to view the interactive maps)

System maps that show the location of all bus routes within GATRA or SRTA;

The creation of route maps that can be viewed for each bus route schedule;

Maintenance of the SRTA website and Facebook page.

The creation of public information flyers for announcement and service changes:

Staff support for Consumer Advisory Committees at GATRA and SRTA.

Data Management and GIS

SRPEDD collects and analyzes a variety of data related to transit planning. Land use and Census data are vital for planning where transit service is needed. Employer shift time and survey data inform when transit service is needed. The transit routes themselves are data layers in a Geographic Information System (GIS) that must be updated with every route change. GIS maps of transit routes are used to create transit systems maps and individual route maps and a data layer that can be overlaid on Google Earth. SRPEDD updates AVL (automatic vehicle locator) files for GATRA as necessary, and also assits GATRA in reporting performance measures on its website. SRPEDD began analyzing SRTA farebox data in January 2013 to monitor route performance and other characteristics. On a regular basis, SPREDD assists GATRA in compiling National Transit Database (NTD) data from its many demand response service operators. SRPEDD assists both GATRA and SRTA with its triennial fixed route sampling for NTD.

Special Studies

SRPEDD conducts specials studies and provides technical assistance as requested by the Regional Transit Authorities. SRPEDD is currently working on a Comprehensive Assessment for SRTA and assisting GATRA with implementing new service in its northwest communities.

Mobility Management

SRPEDD formed a regional mobility management team known as the Southeastern Massachusetts Transportation Alliance (SMTA) in 2011 that identified transportation needs and issues through a series of focus groups across the SRPEDD region. SRPEDD hired a mobility manager to continue to meet with community partners on improving coordination and awareness of existing transportation services within the region.

Other Work

SRPEDD monitors MEPA projects and advocates for land use planning and design that accommodates transit and pedestrians.